Record breaking Zhik Moth World Championship

A record fleet while Chris Maguire tells us of the latest Ellway UK-built Moth

While ground-breaking technological advances may have ground to a slight halt in the foiling Moth class since a year or two ago when solid wings represented the latest cutting edge, there seems to be no lack of desire to take to the water in the hi-tech airborne singlehander with a record-sized fleet of 117 competing this week at the Zhik World Championship on Lake Garda.
Among the line-up are many of the usual suspects, from past World Champions such as Bora Gulari (USA), John Harris (AUS, but now based in the USA) and Simon Payne (GBR), who has a new car from his sponsor Abarth in which he sped down to Garda.
Following the last World Championship, which seems like eons ago, held in Belmont, Australia in January 2011, so there is a large Aussie contingent that have made the trip over, alas without reigning World Champion Nathan Outteridge, the newly crowned Olympic 49er gold medallist, who has a clash this week with his duties at the helm of the Team Korea AC45 in San Francisco (likewise fellow London 2012 gold medallist and Moth sailor Tom Slingsby is competing at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week).
Among the Aussie frontrunners are Joe Turner, who finished second last year in Belmont, one place ahead of 18ft skiff sailor Scott Babbage, also making his return this week. And no Moth Worlds would be complete with the guru, Andrew McDougall, designer of the prolific Mach 2 and Bladerider foiling Moths who is also among the Australian contingent.
While Outteridge and his 49er crew Iain Jensen aren’t taking part, the London 2012 49er silver medallist from New Zealand Peter Burling is. Other past Olympians on the water in Garda are American Laser sailor Brad Funk (Mr Anna Tunnicliffe) and double Olympic 49er medallist Simon Hiscocks.
Freshly returned from the

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